5. 1998 Green Bay Packers
The 1998 Green Bay Packers are a text book case how over confidence can lose you games that you probably should win. The Green Bay Packers were the defending champions of the 1997 NFL season and were without question the best team in the NFL that year. The Packers were easy favorites to beat the John Elway led Denver Broncos and this seemed to cause the Packers to lose their focus a bit. As expected the Packers started the game with a scoring drive but after that, the game didn’t go the way anyone expected it to go. The Broncos responded with their own scoring drive then spent the rest of the game pounding the ball and exhausting the Packers defense. The Broncos won the game winning John Elway his first of two Super Bowls.
4. 1999 Minnesota Vikings
The 1999 Minnesota Vikings set the league on fire with the highest scoring offense in NFL history up to that time. Their offense combined with a capable defense to finish the regular season with an amazing 15-1 record and was everyone’s favorite to win the Super Bowl. Everything was going as planned through the first divisional playoff game and the Vikings went into the NFC championship game against the Atlanta Falcons expecting and easy contest. Whether it was overconfidence on part of the Vikings or the Falcons simply playing better than they were, the Falcons shocked the world by defeating the Vikings in a thrilling overtime finish.
3. 2001 St. Louis Rams
The 2001 St. Louis Rams have an almost identical story to the Minnesota Vikings other than the fact they actually made it to the Super Bowl before losing. The Rams broke the 99 Vikings offensive record and were dubbed “the greatest show on turf” and were widely considered to be the best team in football. Enter the upstart New England patriots who had made their way to the Super Bowl via shocking wins over the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. There wasn’t a single person who actually expected the Patriots to win but they played a physical football game that forced the Rams to make many costly mistakes. The Rams managed to overcome their mistakes and had tied the game when Tom Brady led a last minute drive that was capped off by an incredible field goal kick as time expired. This may be one of the best Super Bowls ever.
2. 1969 Baltimore Colts
Before the NFL and AFL merger there was a very intense rivalry between the two leagues which is where the first Super Bowl started. The first two Super Bowls ended as expected with the NFL team handily beating the AFL team and everything was expected to work out that way again when the Baltimore Colts led by the legendary Johnny Unitas faced off against the upstart New York Jets led by the brash Joe Namath. This game isn’t really about the Colts loss, though it was surprising as it was about Namath’s famous guarantee to win the game and then backing it up by shocking the world with a victory over the Colts. The NFL may have never become the icon it has today if this game had gone as expected.
1. 2007 New England Patriots
The ’07 Patriots were arguably the best team to ever play in the NFL. Led by future hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady and Mastermind coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots completely dominated opponents in both the regular season and playoffs. The Patriots were one of the most heavily favored teams to ever play in the Super Bowl and they were expected by everyone to cap their perfect season with a Super Bowl Trophy. Super Bowl XLII was a classic David and Goliath story line and the Giants shocked the world by defeating the Patriots. Most people point to a play known as the helmet catch for the reason the Patriots lost, but honestly they were simply out played and the Giants earned their victory much the same way the Patriots had earned theirs against the Rams just a few years earlier.
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